No place like BOLD for the holidays

Following its successful summer lineup of events, BOLD returns to Beverly Hills for the holidays with a schedule of events and later business hours running through December.

With thousands of onlookers, Beverly Hills Mayor Lili Bosse and other local leaders commenced the holiday season with a Rodeo Drive lighting celebration led by Vanessa Lachey, host of “Top Chef Junior,” and a performance by Grammy-nominated songwriter and producer Robin Thicke.

The mayor added that “there’s just a vibrancy, and a color, and a feeling of excitement” throughout the city with the holiday season underway.

“Every day feels like a holiday in Beverly Hills,” she said.

Bosse conceived BOLD (Beverly Hills Open Later Days) as a way to make the city “fresh and competitive.” Its businesses have traditionally closed early in the evening. But some residents and city officials have been calling for change in response to a wide array of new shopping destinations throughout L.A. County, and the continued rise of online retailers.

A number of the city’s businesses will stay open later on Fridays and Saturdays through Dec. 23, and many restaurants will offer special deals to guests with a same-day receipt from a local retailer.

The summer events also helped attract a younger crowd to Beverly Hills, an issue that had come up during this year’s City Council elections.

“I was so happy to be BOLD and host the Rodeo Drive Holiday Lighting Celebration to kick off the holiday season,” Lachey said in a statement. “The holidays are a time for fun, family and creating memories, and Beverly Hills, especially Rodeo Drive, is a place where we can do just that.

“Hosting the Rodeo Drive Holiday Lighting Celebration with my dear friend, Mayor Lili Bosse, was the perfect way to kick off the holiday season.”

Holiday events in Beverly Hills will continue throughout Thanksgiving weekend. On Friday, the Tinseltone Carolers will sing at various locations throughout the city. And from 5 to 8 p.m., the Madrigal Singers will perform on Rodeo Drive.

On Saturday, Santa appears at the Paley Center for Media from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., the first of many appearances he will make through Christmas Eve.

“Los Angeles is a city of stars, and the Paley Center is thrilled to welcome the holiday season’s biggest star of all, Santa Claus,” said Maureen J. Reidy, the Paley Center’s president and CEO.

Events in December include daily menorah lightings at Montage Beverly Hills during Hanukkah, which starts this year on the evening of Dec. 12.

Furniture that had been installed on Rodeo Drive for BOLD during the summer – 48 bistro tables and 192 chairs – will remain through the holiday season. They helped create a “warm and inviting environment,” according to a city staff report.

One hour free parking, with a $2 flat rate, is offered at 221 N. Crescent Drive, 333 N. Crescent Drive and 9361 Dayton Way. There will also be one hour free parking at 440 N. Camden Drive, with a $5 maximum rate.